An exclusive sea trial by Sports & Fitness

Regal Marine Industries, Inc., one of the world’s largest privately-owned boat manufacturers with more than 200 dealers in 40 countries, has kicked off its 50th anniversary with a variety of special recognitions, promotions, and commemorative events. Sports & Fitness was the only media invited from Egypt and the Middle East to attend this remarkable and prestigious event held in Key Largo, Florida, USA.

Regal kicked off its anniversary at a special 2019 International Dealer Conference held in Key Largo, Florida at the Ocean Reef Club. The company hosted a boat parade featuring 19 different models, five of which had never been seen before, a firework show, a 1969 throwback dinner, and a business meeting that paid tribute to 50 years of boat building successes. In addition, tenured dealers were recognized for their loyal years of service.

This memorable trip was made in the company of Elmahdy Said, the general manager of Maadi Trading Co. (MATCO), who have been servicing the marine business in Egypt since March 2000 under the name Marakeb, which is their leisure marine department. They are currently representing three of the leading boat manufacturers in the USA: Regal, Malibu, and Stingray.

A fascinating three-day sea trial, with the magnificent atmosphere of Ocean Reef Club in Florida, provided Sports & Fitness with an opportunity to try several models from the Regal fleet starting from the Sterndrive and Outboard Bowriders and the Surf and SAV models to the Express Cruiser and Sport Yachts. The following text will give the reader a brief insight into some features of what we picked as our top three boats. These boats should all perfectly meet every taste in the Egyptian market, taking into consideration that we are expecting that watersports and boating will be the safest leisure sports during this summer, witnessing high traffic.  

LS6 SURF

Crafted for Excitement

Luxury-minded bowrider that offers fantastic watersports capabilities        

Regal continues to expand on their “power of choice” concept by offering the LS6 in a surf-friendly package powered by Volvo Penta’s Forward Drive. The choice continues to push wake surfing beyond the inboard market, while retaining all the features of this luxury-minded bowrider.

The Regal LS6 is a luxury sportboat with a cockpit and bow area loaded with versatile seating to welcome aboard a large crowd. Meanwhile, a single 350-hp Volvo Penta V-8 matched to a Duoprop sterndrive and a stepped FasTrac hull creates the kind of performance to keep them all entertained while running around the lake or river, or on the bay.

That the LS6 is a luxury model is evident almost immediately upon entering the cockpit. Cockpit seat backs feature large chrome grab rails to offer security while underway or when boarding. Lumbar insets in a diamond pattern and piping that matches the hull color enhance the boat's visual appeal. Stainless-steel caps are found on both the windshield corners and transom hull corners. Twin Volvo Penta touchscreen displays highlight a clean minimalist dash.

The cockpit seating configuration is unique too from traditional Regal layouts. A center walkway stretches the entire length of the LS6 right from the swim platform to the point of the bow, narrowing across the transom and between the driver and passenger helms and widening within the cockpit and bow area. The double-wide adjustable seatback of each transom UltraLounge provides forward-facing seating for two on each side of the stern. A bench seat stretches the full length of each side of the cockpit. Each of these form into a double-wide driver and passenger seat again with adjustable seatbacks to allow both forward-facing seating for the driver and passenger plus rear-facing lounging on both sides.

The LS6 finds the perfect balance between cruising the water in a luxurious and peaceful way and the excitement of enjoying wake surfing and watersports with ease and high performance.

3300 Bowrider

Surpass Expectations

All you need in one boat: “Versatile bowrider, watersports platform, and a weekender!”

Bowriders are becoming more in fashion and more in demand, and as a result, are becoming increasingly larger and offering more features and added flexibility. Regal now offers a great deal of models of bowriders from nineteen to thirty-three feet, many of which are sterndrive powered, while others are outboard powered. They also come as Surf models featuring Volvo Penta’s Forward Facing Drive.

The 3300 Bowrider is the largest of its bowrider offerings at 34-feet, 2-inches LOA (length overall) on a 10-foot, 4-inch beam. Its sister model, the 33 OBX, is the same size and offers virtually identical amenities but with twin outboard power.

When we say “more features and added flexibility”, whoever would have thought a few short years ago that any bowrider would offer reasonable overnight or weekend boating accommodations complete with a queen-size berth, stand-up head, and full cooking facilities! Well look no further because this is exactly what Regal’s 3300 Bowrider offers.

The 3300 is available with a total of 600 horsepower gasoline power from either twin Volvo V8 300 EVC (electronic vessel control) with joystick control, Duoprop drives, and electronic shifting or from MerCruiser twin 6.2L 300 DTS (digital throttle and shift) with Bravo 3 drives and electronic shifting. Mercury Axius joystick control is optionally available. You could also choose twin Volvo V8 380 engines with similar features as above or, if diesel is your preference, twin Volvo Diesel D3’s with similar features.

The 3300 offers seating for as many as eighteen persons, which you may never want aboard, but suggesting there is ample leg and elbow and move-around room for almost all family pleasure boating activities. Regal’s popular and versatile UltraLounge centers across the transom offering forward or rear-facing seating plus two-position rear-facing lounging or fully reclined for a huge sunpad. A starboard side transom walk-through facilitates access to the large swim platform. A flip-down step aids starboard side boarding.

The Regal 3300 is our favorite out of the 19 models we tried simply because it is a versatile bowrider that serves as a day boat for entertaining a large group with a smooth ride and is able to handle all kinds of days on the water with its watersports platform. With a head and a large berth below, it can even be a weekender.

38 XO Sport Yacht

Unrivaled Excellence

An outboard-powered yacht that offers luxury, space, and maneuverability in a unique design and layout that truly works for families and couples alike

This beautiful 38-foot boat was specifically designed for outboard power, and it is taking the industry by storm after being released earlier this year.

The Regal 38 XO is the third model in the company’s very innovative outboard lineup joining the already successful 26 and 33 XO models. Outboard power means several things that make this series particularly attractive: more interior living space in a shorter length, easier maintenance and servicing of the engines, and lower draft depth offering increased exploring options including shallower anchoring bays or beaching.

“What we do at Regal is we come up with a clean sheet design and start off by looking at the features that we want the boat to have,” explains Regal Boats CEO and President Duane Kuck. “This boat has a spacious floorplan with key features like a queen bed forward with a king bed aft along with a separate head and shower.”

According to Kuck, the 38 XO is considered a true game-changer, the first to command a new segment in the marketplace. “Our new 38 XO outboard-powered sport yacht is truly one-of-a-kind, delivering unprecedented performance with luxury cruising comfort. Owners will cruise with little to no bow rise from 20 to 40 mph while enjoying top speeds of almost 50 mph. In addition, the 38 XO sports a premium-packed interior featuring a full cabin and cockpit designed to maximize family entertainment.”

Some key design features and innovations include a spacious salon and convertible entertainment area with 360-degree panoramic views afforded by single-piece windows, including a clever push-button portside venting window and enclosure doors that open and expand into the seamless, single-level cockpit sole with L-shaped seating. Other notable cockpit features include fully customizable displays with integrated systems and navigation controls, a vinyl-wrapped dash, and a retractable, full-beam hardtop.

There is room for relaxation embracing all sides of the outboards thanks to the low-to-the-water design of the wraparound swim platform. Another plus sure to appeal is the spacious, six-position foredeck sun lounger.

The split galley offers indoor and outdoor storage with sink, optional smokeless grill, two-burner stove, microwave, refrigerator, and freezer.

The two-berth design includes a best-in-class forward stateroom with California queen bed featuring built-in storage, plus an extra spacious aft stateroom featuring optional twin bed or king (slider) configuration including hand-crafted settee storage and dresser. Full-size head features handcrafted cabinetry, solid surface countertops, and separate full-size shower.

Simply, this model is our top pick for a sporty coastal cruiser with overnight or weekend accommodations for a family or two couples.